Italian rocket maker Avio has shared that it expects to launch between four and six Vega C flights in 2025.
The projection was revealed as part of a presentation shared during Italian Excellences 2023, an event that features around 50 companies listed on the Euronext STAR Milan segment of the Italian Stock Exchange.
Vega C is currently still grounded pending the redesign of the Zefiro 40 (Z40) second stage nozzle. The redesign was necessitated following a failed Vega C flight in late 2022 and a failed Z40 ground test in June.
According to the roadmap Avio shared on 10 October during the Italian Excellences 2023 event, a pair of Z40 ground tests are planned, with one occurring in the second quarter of 2024 and the other in the third quarter. The Vega C return to flight mission will then follow, as long as the tests are successful, in the fourth quarter of 2024.
If the vehicle is successfully returned to flight, Avio aims to launch a minimum of four Vega C missions in 2025. In the best-case scenario, an extra two missions will be added on top of that baseline.
There are currently 16 Vega C missions in the Avio backlog. This means that at a launch cadence of between four and five missions per year, the vehicle will only be available to new customers from late 2027 or early 2028.
The Vega C backlog is made up primarily of European institutional customers, which make up around 80% of the flights currently on Avio’s flight manifest.
